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Warren Gatland could snub his entire Welsh coaching team for the Lions tour to New Zealand next summer in the wake of Ireland’s historic victory over the All Blacks last weekend.

Gatland was at Soldier Field, Chicago, to see Steve Hansen’s record-breaking Kiwis humbled 40-29 as the Irish ended an 111-year losing streak against the back-to-back world champions.

It also brought an abrupt end to the All Blacks’ record run of 18 Tests unbeaten and Gatland on Tuesday night gave a clearest hint yet he’s looking across the Irish Sea to fill his backroom coaching team for the Lions tour next year.

Andy Farrell is destined to be recruited for another tour as defence coach, after the Englishman’s major role in Chicago last Saturday, meaning Shaun Edwards, who worked alongside Robert Howley and Gatland on the 2009 Lions trip to South Africa misses out for a second successive job having been overlooked for the 2013 series win in Australia.

Asked if Farrell was part of his Lions plans for taking on the All Blacks, Gatland said: “Yeah, I’ve spoken about continuity of staff and adding some fresh faces. That defensive performance was very good. In the next few weeks, I’ll be putting that back-room staff in place.”

The Welsh coach is set to announce his coaching team on December 7 and when pressed further on Farrell being part of that, he added: “We’ll wait and see. He is someone who achieved a huge amount as a player, for Wigan and Great Britain.

“When he speaks to the players, he brings out a lot of those experiences he had in the past, and that has an impact. It often hits the right note and he delivers really well to the squad.”

Another Irish coach thrust into the Lions spotlight is their Kiwi head honcho Joe Schmidt with a clamour for the 51-year-old to be part of the tour to his homeland.

Earlier this year, he ruled himself out of the running for the lead role, but Gatland believes he could be available to tour as an assistant.

“There’s an opportunity there as well,” he said.

“Joe has been absolutely fantastic for Clermont, Leinster and now Ireland.

“Achieving that result last weekend was brilliant. There was uncertainty a while ago about what he was doing, but now he has made that commitment to Ireland until the next World Cup, so there is potential there.”

With Farrell the clear favourite for the defensive duties and Schmidt emerging as a possible assistant that would seriously hamper Robert Howley’s hopes of a third successive Lions tour alongside Gatland while England’s Steve Borthwick and Wasps and former Cardiff Blues supremo Dai Young could well be the names in the frame for the forwards job.

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Ireland coach Joe Schmidt shakes hands with New Zealand counterpart Steve Hansen following the final whistle in Chicago on Saturday

Neil Jenkins is a possibility for the kicking duties though there are some pushing the claims of former England legend Jonny Wilkinson for the role.

And looking at the Irish performance in the States with his with his Lions hat on, Gatland added: “From a Lions perspective, we’ve got a group of players who’ve got the monkey off their backs and done it.

“I’ve said that players shouldn’t get on the plane unless they will go to New Zealand believing they can win. Now, there are a group of players who have done that.

“The All Blacks came back in the second half and I was thinking, ‘Uh oh, here we go’.

“But Ireland’s resolve was great, they continued to pressurise and you started to see balls going to ground as the All Black players were in unfamiliar territory. As coaches, we are always trying to deliver that message; that sometimes there is vulnerability, if you put them under pressure.”